Top of the Pops 2
| Top of the Pops 2 | |
|---|---|
2013-present logo, as seen on the Christmas 2013 special
|
|
| Narrated by |
Johnnie Walker (1994–97) Steve Wright (1997–2009) Mark Radcliffe (2009–present) |
| Theme music composer | CCS (1998–2006, 2013–present) Tony Gibber (2006–2013) |
| Opening theme | Whole Lotta Love (1998-2006, 2013-present) Now Get Out of That (2006-2013) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 523 (as of 4 August 2012) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Ric Blaxill (1994–98) Rory Sheehan (1998) Mark Hagen (1999–2010) |
| Running time | 30 minutes 1994–2007 60 minutes 2007–present |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Picture format |
16:9 576i (2006, 2010–present) 4:3 576i (1994–present) |
| Original release | 17 September 1994 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Top of the Pops 2 (also known as TOTP2) is a British television music show broadcast on BBC Two, showing archive footage from the long-running Top of the Pops show, some dating back to the 1960s when the programme first aired on British television.
The show was originally narrated by BBC Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker. Steve Wright took over in 1997 and hosted the show until being replaced by Mark Radcliffe in December 2009. The presenter never appears in-vision, but provides voice-over commentary that introduces each performance.
The original show format consisted of archival footage apart from the last performance, which was usually a more recent performance or an exclusive performance recorded in the main TOTP studio for TOTP2.
For a period of time, the BBC ran a daily version of TOTP2 in which celebrities chose their favourite archive performances. These celebrities, typically comedians, have included Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer, Phill Jupitus and Jack Dee. There has also been a number of TOTP2 specials, where a "greatest hits" show dedicated to one musician or band has aired. Examples include the Bee Gees, Shania Twain and Dionne Warwick specials which aired between 2000-2003.
In 2004, the controller of BBC Two, Roly Keating, announced that the programme was to be "rested". The move was part of a format change for the main Top of the Pops programme, which saw it being moved from its BBC One Friday night primetime slot to a new slot on Sunday nights on BBC Two. The new format merged the Top of the Pops format of new chart performances with the TOTP2 format of archival footage. This format ran until TOTP's demise in May 2006.
The last showing of the original run of TOTP2 was the TOTP2 Christmas Special shown on Christmas Eve 2005 at 19:30 on BBC Two. Repeats of edited versions of TOTP2 were shown on Dave from 2004 to 2011, and on Yesterday in 2010.
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